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The Newseum Institute of Journalism in Washington on Monday honored 14 journalists killed during their work in 2016 at a ceremony highlighting the threats to freedom of expression and media across the world.
Among the honored are the martyrs ‘ Samer Mohammed Al-Abboud’, one of the founders of the free radio station of Deir Ezzor, ‘Sami Jawdat Rabah’ of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustafa Abdel-Hassan of the Sham News Network and Mohammed Marwan Al-Issa of the Network of Regions.
The Newseum Institute, which promotes freedom of the press, added 14 names to the honoring of journalists, stressing that this new caravan of victims represents 48 people estimated to have been killed in news coverage last year.
“Journalists faced unprecedented risks during their coverage of the news in many countries in which press freedom is threatened or non-existent,” said Jean Polishinsky, head of operations at the institute. He added that the journalists who were named on the monument “sacrificed their lives in their quest to serve the public and many of them continued to work after being attacked or receiving death threats.” Among those who have also been honored are US National Public Radio cameraman David Gilkie and his translator Zabihullah Tamani, who were killed exactly a year ago in an attack in Afghanistan.
“They were killed and they were doing the simplest thing a journalist could do,” Radio editor Michael Orisks said at the ceremony.
He said the death of reporters does falsify some analysts, saying that we were living in a “post-truth era” for the media.
“We do not live in a post truth era. We live in a period when powerful organizations and governments know how important the truth is and are prepared to kill, imprison, intimidate or threaten to kidnap journalists. “
